Music

Since Jordan Davis has a hand in writing so many of his songs, he says he doesn’t get that many outside pitches.

But when he does, he has a process: He sends it to some people he trusts to see whether he should check it out or not. 

Obviously his latest hit, “Bar None,” made the cut. 

“I was on my way home,” Jordan recalls. “I listened to it. The hook is the first thing that grabbed me. I think as a songwriter, when you hear a hook like that, you’re kinda like, ‘Dadgummit, I wish I would’ve thought of that!'”

“And then I just, like, couldn’t stop listening to the song,” he continues. “I listened to it, got to my house, pulled on my street and was like, ‘Yeah, I need to take a few more blocks to keep jamming this one.’ And then woke up the next morning and was like, ‘Alright, I gotta record this song.'”

Jordan’s instincts have paid off, as “Bar None” is currently in the top five and climbing. 

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After helping to create the BTS hits “Butter” and “Permission to Dance,” Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk were tapped to write songs for KPop Demon Hunters. The two penned and produced two of the more emotional songs in the hit Netflix film: “What It Sounds Like” and “Free.”  And according to Jenna, just because HUNTR/X and Saja Boys technically don’t exist, doesn’t make them any less real.

“They feel very real now … It’s like you forget that they’re animated,” Jenna tells ABC Audio. She laughs, “So like, what makes them less real than BLACKPINK? I mean, besides that they’re not real, but it feels like they’re so real in your brain, y’know?”

Initially, Jenna and Stephen were working on the song that HUNTR/X releases as their new single, but they were reassigned to write the big finale song, which ended up being “What It Sounds Like.” Meanwhile, other writers penned the single, and that ended up being the #1 hit “Golden.” But Jenna and Stephen say they don’t regret being reassigned.

“More than the numbers, it’s about … being a part of something that is influencing culture in a positive way,” Stephen explains. “…There’s so many generations of people who can enjoy this and pull from this. That’s what’s really important.”

Plus, Jenna notes, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack album, which includes their two songs, was also #1.

As for a possible sequel, Jenna and Stephen say they’d both like to see the return of Jinu.

“I don’t believe souls can die, so I hope that Jinu comes back. I think the Saja Boys need to turn good and absolutely help HUNTR/X fight evil,” Stephen says.

“I’m here for it, for 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 — they can make a Star Wars franchise. I’m watching all of them!” 

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The Sex Pistols‘ 1977 debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, is perhaps the ultimate example of a singular artistic statement. It defined the punk genre and remains the only Pistols album nearly 50 years later.

While the Pistols reformed in 2024 with original members Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook alongside vocalist Frank Carter in place of frontman John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon, they don’t have any plans for a follow-up to Never Mind the Bollocks.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, personally,” Jones tells ABC Audio of the idea of recording new Pistols tunes.

“I think to try and attempt to do new Pistols songs is, I mean, it’s so long ago,” he continues. “I can’t imagine it being good.”

Besides, Jones feels that fans generally aren’t interested in new material from veteran acts.

“No one’s interested when they go to see it live, they go to the toilet when they play a new song, no one cares,” Jones says. “I just think it would be the same with us if we did new songs.”

He does add, though, “But you never know, who knows?”

Similarly, there aren’t any plans to rerecord Never Mind the Bollocks with Carter.

“I dunno, I really don’t know about that,” Jones says. “I think it’s kind of blasphemy if you’re trying to do another version of Never Mind the Bollocks, I don’t know how you could make that better.”

As for what the reformed Pistols do plan to do, they were scheduled to launch their first U.S. tour since 2003 earlier in September, but the shows have been postponed due to Jones breaking his wrist. New dates will be announced once Jones has recovered.

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Jussie Smollett is one of the contenders on the fourth season of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, a competition series in which celebrities participate in military-like exercises. In an interview with People, he says he had a “very sobering” experience during his time on the show.

“It’s not always easy to be vulnerable,” he said, before touching on the physicality of the competition. “We’re not athletes, but we’re athletic. So it’s different. It’s very intense.”

He added that the hardest part were the mental battles he faced and overcame on the show. “Getting through that was really special,” he told People. “I hope that it’s the great equalizer and it’s also the great kind of reset of this is who I am and it’s all love.”

Special Forces marks Smollett’s return to television six years after he claimed he was the victim of an alleged hate crime in Chicago. He was starring in Fox’s Empire at the time, but was written out of the show’s final episodes following the allegations. 

According to ABC News, Smollett filed a police report in January 2019 claiming he’d been attacked by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs. The men later told law enforcement officials the actor had orchestrated the incident — an allegation Smollett’s attorneys denied.

Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report in March 2019, but the charges were dropped after he agreed to forfeit his bond and do community service.

He was indicted again in February 2020 on six felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making false reports to police and was later found guilty on five of those counts. He was sentenced to 150 days in county jail but only served six; his release was granted after his lawyer filed an appeal.

The conviction was then overturned in November 2024. Smollett has consistently maintained his innocence.

Special Forces season 4 premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

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Tate McRae has more new music on the way. On Wednesday, she announced, “TIT FOR TAT out Friday…….surpriseeeee.” Tate’s most recent album, So Close to What, came out in February; she also had a song on the soundtrack of F1: The Movie.

If you didn’t get an invite to Charli XCX’s second wedding celebration, you can feel like you were there by checking out her Instagram. She’s uploaded what seems like every photo she took of herself, her husband George and all their pals partying in Sicily. On her last wedding post, she wrote, “k final ones (for now, i’m sorry!) but i’m just obsesssseddd!!!!!”

Want to have coffee and donuts with Joe Jonas? He’s teamed up with Krispy Kreme to promote National Coffee Day, which falls on Sept. 29. From Sept. 27 through the 29th, you can get a dozen doughnuts for $1 if you buy a dozen at regular price, and then on Sept. 29, you can get a free coffee and donut. In a promotional video, Joe balks when he’s told that he’s just promoting coffee, complaining, “You can’t have coffee without a doughnut,” and adding, “If you’re going to use this face, I’m going to give away the doughnut.”

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Rihanna is now a mom of three.

The singer and Fenty Beauty founder has welcomed a baby girl with her longtime partner A$AP Rocky. Rocki Irish Meyers was born on Sept. 13, according to a post Rih shared to Instagram Wednesday.

This is Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s third child together.

A$AP Rocky confirmed the news of Rihanna’s pregnancy with their third child in May at the 2025 Met Gala.

“It feels amazing, you know,” A$AP Rocky told reporters after they congratulated him following media reports that the couple was expecting their third child, according to The Associated Press. “It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up, and I’m glad everybody’s happy for us, ’cause we definitely happy, you know?”

Rihanna also stepped out at the Met Gala that night wearing a pin-striped ensemble that showed off her pregnancy.

The duo are also parents to sons Rza and Riot. The couple welcomed Rza in May 2022 and Riot in 2023.

In an interview with Vogue in April, A$AP Rocky said of his son RZA, “The older one, he stays to himself — he likes his books.”

Of his younger son Riot, the rapper added, “He likes to take stuff from his brother so his brother can chase him.”

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Drake wrapped up his $ome $pecial $hows 4 U Tour Tuesday night in Hamburg, Germany. While onstage at the Barclays Arena, Drake told the crowd, “This is the greatest tour I’ve ever been on in my life. I’m so thankful to be here with each and every one of y’all.” The 35-show tour supported Drake and PartyNextDoor‘s album $ome $pecial $ongs 4 U, which came out in February.

D4vd‘s streams have increased following reports of a dead body found in an impounded car that was registered to the singer. Billboard reports his catalog earned 30.3 million on-demand U.S. streams from Sept. 18 to Sept. 22 — a significant jump from the 13.8 million streams acquired between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16, according to Luminate. His song “Romantic Homicide” saw a 224% rise in streams, going from 2.9 million streams (Sept. 12 to Sept. 15) to 9.4 million one week later.

Aaliyah has earned her first #1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart thanks to her posthumous single with Tank, “Gone.” It’s the most-played song of the Sept. 12-18 tracking week, jumping up from the #2 position with a 23% increase in weekly plays, according to Luminate. The feat gives Tank his 10th #1 on the chart.

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Mariah Carey‘s kids, Moroccan Cannon and Monroe Cannon, enjoy their mom’s music, but Mariah says that doesn’t necessarily mean she wants their opinions on it — at least not while she’s in the process of creating it.

Asked by GQ if she ever “run[s] musical ideas by them or make[s] them listen to songs and see what they think,” Mariah replied, “Sometimes, I run musical ideas by them, but not really. I don’t care what they think.”

“No, I’m only kidding,” she laughed. “I do care what they think, but I barely run songs by them, because I’d rather wait until the song is completely done, the album’s completely done, because that way they won’t be like, ‘Mom, why’d you do this? Why’d you do that?'”

But Mariah did say that her son’s love for the duo Silk Sonic inspired her to reach out to Anderson .Paak, who ended up working with her on her new album, Here For It All.

“Actually my son … was obsessed with them,” she says of the Grammy-winning duo, made up of Paak and Bruno Mars. “And he would listen all the time, he wore the shirt — it was a whole thing.” Mariah notes that she and Paak had “great musical chemistry.”

But Mariah remains coy about whether or not she and Paak are dating: They’ve been seen in public holding hands. Asked about their relationship on CBS Mornings, Mariah told Gayle King, “He just likes to hold my hand. He just grabs my hand. I don’t know what he’s doing.”

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